Jason Smith was a player the Sixers really wanted but the Miami Heat snagged him right before their pick. So the 76ers traded Daequan Cook, a 2009 second round pick and cash to Miami for Smith. Smith will likely get a chance to start as a rookie at power forward for the 76ers and he should team up well with Samuel Dalembert on defense. Smith is a big guy at 7′0″, 240 pounds at he used that size to his advantage at Colorado State. Smith played 87 games there and he averaged 14.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.7 blocked shots per game. Smith hit 54.8% of his shots from the floor, 30.8% from three point range and 75.1% from the free throw line. The Sixers were smart to trade for Smith and they will likely benefit right away in his rookie season.

The 76ers felt they had a need at small forward so they drafted Thaddeus Young in the first round with the #12 pick. Young played at Georgia Tech in college and he’s a solid 6′8″, 220 pounds so he looks the part. Young will compete with last season’s first round pick Rodney Carney for the starting job at small forward. Young is a shut down defender so that could give him an edge over Carney. Young played in 31 games at Georgia Tech and he averaged 14.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He also shot the ball well as he hit 47.8% from the floor, 41.9% from three point range and 74.3% from the free throw line. Young was a good pick for the 76ers.

The 76ers finished the season in 3rd place in the Atlantic Division with a 35-47 record, 12 games behind the Toronto Raptors. The Sixers did defend their home court as they were 21-20 there and only 14-27 on the road. The Sixers were only 24-28 against the Eastern Conference, but they were 9-7 against Division foes. The 76ers wound up averaging 94.9 points and allowing 98.0 points. The Sixers did end the season on a hot streak as they won 6 of their last 10 games.

Kyle Korver has a small tendon tear in his right wrist and is out indefinately. The Sixers might as well shut him down because his best skill is his shooting ability and having a right wrist injury will surely effect his shooting. He has played in 73 games this season and he averaged 14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He also shot 42.5% from three-point range which is fantastic. If he played better on defense he would be a starter, but he’s very effective in his role as the long range bomber off of the bench for the Sixers.

The 76ers are sitting at 30-45 on the season and are 4.5 games behind the Orlando Magic for the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. It’s amazing to even say the word “playoffs” in association with the Sixers after the way the season started but Andre Miller has really brought teamwork back to the Sixers team which they have not had the last few seasons. Andre Iguodala also has emerged as a go-to player without Allen Iverson and Chris Webber around to hog the basketball.